Clashes Erupt at North Macedonia Protest Against Terror Verdict

Thousands of ethnic Albanians took to the streets of Skopje on Friday for a "protest for justice", demanding freedom for the five ethnic Albanians who were sentenced to prison on Tuesday for the 2012 murders of five ethnic Macedonians.

The protest organised by the families and supporters of the convicted man started in Skopje's Albanian-dominated municipality of Cair, with people shouting "Justice for Albanians" and calling politicians and the judiciary "crooks".

They also carried banners calling for the resignation of prosecutors. One placard read: "Macedonia has corrupt courts and prosecutors."

Violence broke out after a brief stand-off with armed riot police escalated who had cordoned off the boulevard leading towards the court buildings complex in central Skopje, which was the protestors' intended destination.

Thousands of people gathered at the start of the protest. Photo: BIRN

After a series of scuffles, with protestors trying to breach the police line and throwing stones and other heavy objects at the officers, the protest that was organised by the families and supporters of the convicted people, the clashes escalated.

A team of reporters from North Macedonia's state news agency MIA was attacked just seconds before the police went on the offensive to push the protestors away from central Skopje and back towards the Cair municipality.

As the throwing of rocks continued, the police used shock grenades and armoured vehicles to disperse the crowd, which retreated to the city's landmark Bit Pazar, an open-air market.

The first scuffles started as the police tried to block the protesters' path towards the court complex. Photo: BIRN.

The violence did not last long, and as police...